Ukraine president calls for new anti-rebel offensive as crisis deal falters

Alastair Macdonald

Kiev: Ukraine's acting president, Oleksander Turchynov, has called for government forces to relaunch an offensive against pro-Russian rebels after a local politician from his own party was found dead with signs of torture.

Kiev's first push failed last week to retake one of the towns in the mainly Russian-speaking east occupied by the separatists, and its military has largely suspended operations since the United States, Russia, Ukraine and the European Union signed a deal in Geneva last week intended to calm the crisis.

A masked pro-Russian militant stands near Ukrainian police outside a regional government building in Donetsk. Photo: Reuters

But the agreement is already in trouble, with Washington and Moscow putting the onus on each other on Tuesday to ensure that it is implemented, including a stipulation that the rebels must disarm and leave the government buildings they have occupied.

In an appeal that may complicate European efforts to mediate the crisis, Mr Turchynov said two "brutally tortured" bodies had been found near Slaviansk, the objective of the failed Ukrainian army offensive. One was that of Volodymyr Rybak, a member of Mr Turchynov's Fatherland party, who had recently been abducted by "terrorists", he said.

"These crimes are being carried out with the full support and indulgence of the Russian Federation," he said. "I call on the security agencies to relaunch and carry out effective anti-terrorist measures, with the aim of protecting Ukrainian citizens living in eastern Ukraine from terrorists."

Police said the body of a man who suffered a violent death had been found in a river. It resembled Mr Rybak, a local councillor in the town of Horlivka, near the regional capital of Donetsk, but formal identification would need further work, they added.

Advertisement

Fatherland is led by Yulia Tymoshenko, a former prime minister who is running in a presidential election scheduled for May 25.

You will now receive updates fromBreaking News Alert

Breaking News Alert

US Vice-President Joe Biden told Russia on Tuesday that "time is short" for action on defusing the crisis, but Moscow refused to be rushed, saying it could handle any tougher economic sanctions the West might impose.

Speaking on a visit to Kiev, Mr Biden called on Moscow to pull back troops built up on Ukraine's borders and persuade the separatists to disarm.

"We've heard a lot from Russian officials in the past few days. But now it's time for Russia to stop talking and start acting," he told a news conference. "We will not allow this to become an open-ended process. Time is short in which to make progress."

The United States has repeatedly warned Russia it faces "mounting costs" if it fails to ensure full implementation of the Geneva agreement.

A senior US official said Secretary of State John Kerry told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in a telephone call on Tuesday that Washington would impose further sanctions on Russia if tensions did not de-escalate in eastern Ukraine.

The Russian ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, ruled out rapid progress. "Of course, it would be naive to suppose that all this could happen quickly," Mr Churkin said in an interview on Rossiya-24 television.

In Moscow, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev promised the country could deal with tougher measures if necessary.

"We shan't give up on cooperation with foreign companies, including from Western countries, but we will be ready for unfriendly steps," he told parliament.

"I am sure we can minimise their impact," he said. "We will not allow our citizens to become hostages of political games."

So far the United States and EU have imposed visa bans and asset freezes on only a limited number of Russians over the annexation of Crimea last month.